All weather vent-adjustable hats

ABSTRACT

All weather vent-adjustable hats are disclosed. In accordance with embodiments of the presently disclosed subject matter, a vent-adjustable hat can include a hat body configured to be worn over a head and defining at least one opening that extends between an interior of the hat body and an area outside of the hat body. The opening can be of a mesh type material to allow airflow from the interior to exterior of the hat body. The vent-adjustable hat can also include a covering attached to the hat body over the mesh opening and is variably adjustable for covering at least one opening for partially allowing the passage of air through the at least one opening to reduce the risk of heat exhaustion or stroke. Additionally, the adjustable flaps can be rolled down to prevent rain from passing from the exterior to the interior of the hat body.

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

This application claims the benefit of U.S. provisional patent application No. 61/228,259, filed Jul. 24, 2009 and titled VENT-ADJUSTABLE HATS, the content of which is incorporated herein in its entirety.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The subject matter disclosed herein relates to hats. Particularly, the subject matter disclosed herein relates to all weather vent-adjustable hats.

BACKGROUND

While outside, people often wear hats to provide shielding from the sun, and to provide cooling and/or warmth during all times of the year. Often, people may need to carry more than one hat to meet differing needs throughout out the course of the day. For example, during the winter, a person may hike wearing an insulated, pullover, toboggan-style cap that covers his or her head and ears for keeping his or her head warm. However, after an hour or two of hiking, the person may become hot from the exertion and will need to remove the cap entirely, or replace with a mesh-type, vented hat that will allow excess body heat to dissipate but keep some type of protection from the sun. Further, when rain begins, the person may need to unpack a poncho, which has some type covering for the head, or some other type of rain hat for protection from the rain. Therefore, in some cases, a person may need to carry two or three different hats to protect him or her from environmental conditions, and to provide optimal comfort throughout the day and night as weather and temperature conditions change and desired comfort levels change.

In another scenario, a person may, during warm weather such as in the summer, hike a trail wearing a hat having a mesh type material and a wide brim for shielding his or her neck from the sun and for allowing excess heat to dissipate. However, if it rains, the rain may pass through the mesh and wet the person's head. Therefore, in this case, the person must cover the hat with some type of plastic cover or replace the hat with another rain-proof hat. But, unfortunately, that type of hat may not allow sufficient ventilation and the excess heat can become trapped inside the hat such that the wearer becomes very hot and uncomfortable.

Some hats are manufactured with having just a few small vent holes approximately ⅛ inch in diameter. However, due to the small size of the openings, air flow is restricted and will not allow a sufficient amount of excess heat to be dissipated to allow the wearer optimal comfort. Additionally, rain may enter these small openings, allowing the wearer's head to become wet.

Accordingly, it is desirable to provide an improved hat for protecting its wearer from differing and changing environmental conditions and for providing comfort.

SUMMARY

All weather vent-adjustable hats are disclosed. In accordance with embodiments of the presently disclosed subject matter, an all weather vent-adjustable hat can include a hat body configured to be worn over a head and defining at least one opening that extends between an interior of the hat body and an area outside of the hat body. The all weather vent-adjustable hat can also include a covering attached to the hat body and variably adjustable for covering the at least one opening for at least partially preventing passage of air or rain through the at least one opening. Further, the hat can include an adjustable covering (e.g. a flap) attached to the hat body. The covering can be variably adjustable for covering the opening for at least partially preventing passage of air between an interior of the hat body and an area outside of the hat body and/or partially preventing passage of rainwater between the exterior and interior of the hat.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The foregoing summary, as well as the following detailed description of preferred embodiments, is better understood when read in conjunction with the appended drawings. For the purposes of illustration, there is shown in the drawings exemplary embodiments; however, the presently disclosed subject matter is not limited to the specific methods and instrumentalities disclosed. In the drawings:

FIG. 1 is a side view of an all weather vent-adjustable hat with a covering positioned to cover an opening in accordance with embodiments of the subject matter disclosed herein;

FIG. 2 is a side view of the all weather vent-adjustable hat of FIG. 1 with the covering positioned to not cover the opening in accordance with embodiments of the subject matter disclosed herein;

FIG. 3 is a side view of the all weather vent-adjustable hat of FIG. 1 with the covering positioned to partially cover the opening in accordance with embodiments of the subject matter disclosed herein;

FIG. 4 is a front view of the all weather vent-adjustable hat of FIG. 1 with the covering positioned to cover the opening in accordance with embodiments of the subject matter disclosed herein;

FIG. 5 is a top view of the all weather vent-adjustable hat of FIG. 1 with the covering positioned to cover the opening in accordance with embodiments of the subject matter disclosed herein;

FIG. 6 is a side view of an all weather vent-adjustable hat with a covering positioned to not cover an opening in accordance with embodiments of the subject matter disclosed herein;

FIG. 7 is a side view of an all weather vent-adjustable hat of FIG. 6 with a covering positioned to fully cover the opening in accordance with embodiments of the subject matter disclosed herein;

FIG. 8 is a side view of an all weather vent-adjustable hat with buttons for variably attaching the covering to a hat body in accordance with embodiments of the subject matter disclosed herein;

FIG. 9 is a side view of the all weather vent-adjustable hat of FIG. 8 with the covering positioned to not cover the opening in accordance with embodiments of the subject matter disclosed herein;

FIG. 10 is a side view of the all weather vent-adjustable hat of FIG. 8 with the covering positioned to partially cover the opening in accordance with embodiments of the subject matter disclosed herein;

FIG. 11 is a top view of the all weather vent-adjustable hat of FIG. 8 with the covering positioned to cover the opening in accordance with embodiments of the subject matter disclosed herein;

FIG. 12 is a side view of an all weather vent-adjustable hat including an alternative design covering configured to be rolled downward and tucked into a small pocket/pouch by the wearer for holding in accordance with embodiments of the subject matter disclosed herein; and

FIG. 13 is a side view of the all weather vent-adjustable hat of FIG. 12 with the covering positioned to cover the opening in accordance with embodiments of the subject matter disclosed herein.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The presently disclosed subject matter is described with specificity to meet statutory requirements. However, the description itself is not intended to limit the scope of this patent. Rather, the inventor has contemplated that the claimed subject matter might also be embodied in other ways, to include different steps or elements similar to the ones described in this document, in conjunction with other present or future technologies.

All weather vent-adjustable hats are disclosed herein. According to an embodiment of the subject matter disclosed herein, an all weather vent-adjustable hat can include a hat body configured to be worn over a head. The hat body can include one or more openings formed therein. Further, the hat can include an adjustable covering attached to the hat body. The covering can be variably adjustable for covering the opening for at least partially preventing passage of air between an interior of the hat body and an area outside of the hat body; and during inclement weather, to prevent rain from passing between the exterior of the hat body to the interior of the hat.

The all weather vent-adjustable hats disclosed herein can be used during all seasons of the year and can be adjusted for various changing weather conditions and/or desired comfort levels. The hats can be constructed to have a wide brim to shield the neck and ears of a wearer from exposure to the sun. The hat may be made of water repellent or water-proof material. The hat may have a mesh material positioned over an opening formed in the hat body and on either side of the hat for allowing excess heat to dissipate or be vented from the head of the wearer.

The mesh material may be covered by an adjustable covering (e.g., flap) in the event of rain, but not fully covered as to allow some excess heat to be vented if the wearer so desired. As shown in the examples disclosed herein, the adjustable covering may be completely removed from covering an opening for allowing maximum ventilation through the opening, may be adjusted to completely cover an opening for minimizing ventilation through the opening, or adjusted to partially cover the opening to a desired ventilation or comfort level.

A hat in accordance with embodiments of the presently disclosed subject matter may include an adjustable chin strap. The chin strap may keep the hat from falling off a wearer's head. For example, the hat may be prevented from blowing off during windy weather or on a boat in open water.

A hat in accordance with embodiments of the presently disclosed subject matter may include a cold weather insert that may be attached securely attached inside the hat to cover the wearer's head and ears for additional warmth for extreme cold temperatures. The use of this proposed hat design during the winter, with the adjustable flaps rolled down over the mesh areas and secured, would help the body to retain body heat and freezing rain off the head and thereby reduce the risk of hypothermia.

Attachment of a chin strap to the insert may also help to secure the hat to the head.

FIGS. 1-3 an all weather vent-adjustable hat 100 in accordance with embodiments of the subject matter disclosed herein. Referring to FIG. 1, this figure shows a side view of the hat 100 having a hat body 102 configured to be worn over a head of a wearer. The hat body 102 may be sized for generally fitting to the top of the wearer's head as will be understood by those of skill in the art and may be made of, but not limited to, a water resistant or repellent material or fabric such as GORE-TEX®

The hat 100 may define one or more openings 104 that extend between an interior of the hat body 102 and an area outside of the hat body 102. In this example, the opening 104 (shown on the side of the hat body 102 shown in FIG. 1) is positioned on a side of the hat body 102 that substantially opposes the position of another opening (not shown in FIG. 1). The openings 104 can provide ventilation to the top of the wearer's head for cooling the person.

The openings 104 may be entirely or partially covered with a fixed mesh-type or netting-type material 105. The material 105 may be porous for allowing air to pass between the interior of the hat body 102 and an area outside of the hat body 102. In addition, the material 105 may prevent insects or other objects from passing through the opening 104 to enter the interior of the hat body 102. The edges of the material 105 may be attached to the edges of the hat body 102 that define the opening 104 in any suitable manner.

The openings 104 may be variably covered by coverings 106. Particularly, the covering 106 may be adjustable into different positions for varying amount of the covering 106 that covers the opening 104. In this example, the covering 106 is fixedly attached to the hat body 102 at a top side that defines the opening 104. Other sides of the covering 106 may be variably attached to the hat body 102 for variably covering the opening 104.

FIGS. 2 and 3 show an example of the variable attachment of the covering 106 to the hat body 102. Referring to FIG. 2, the covering 106 is shown positioned in a first position such that the opening 104 is not covered by the covering 106 or only partially covered by the covering 106. In the first position, a substantial portion of the covering 106 is rolled over itself and tucked inside a small, expandable pocket or holder 108 having an enclosure for holding the covering 106. The holder 108 may covers and at least partially conceal the covering 106 from view for enhancing the aesthetics and the appearance of the hat 100 when the covering 106 is not covering the opening 104.

Now referring to FIG. 3, the covering 106 is shown positioned in a second position such that the opening 104 is partially covered. The opening 104 is shown fully covered by the covering 106 in FIG. 1 in yet another position of the covering 106. The covering 106 is variably positionable between the positions shown in FIGS. 1, 2, and 3 for variably covering the opening 104. In this manner, the wearer of the hat 100 may positioned the covering 106 in different positions for protecting the wearer from differing and changing environmental conditions and for providing a desirable level of comfort.

The covering 106 may be held in place in the various positions by one or more attachment components. Particularly, for example, the hat body 102 and the covering 106 may include a fabric hook-and-loop fastener material (e.g., VELCRO® or any other suitable fastener material) for variably covering the opening 104 with the covering 106. The fastener materials may each include a hook strip 110 and a loop strip 112 attached to the covering 106 and the hat body 102, respectively. The fastening component of the hook strip 110 and the loop strip 112 are exposed for contacting one another when the covering 106 partially covers the opening (as shown, for example, in FIG. 3) or fully covers the opening 104 (as shown, for example, in FIG. 1). The hook strip 110 and the loop strip 112 may not be contacting when the covering 106 is not covering the opening 104.

The hat body 102 and covering 106 may be made of any suitable flexible material. For example, the hat body 102 and covering 106 may be made of, but not limited to, a water resistant or repellant material or fabric such as GORE-TEX®.

FIGS. 4 and 5 illustrate front and top views, respectively, of the hat 100 shown in FIGS. 1-3. Referring to FIGS. 4 and 5, two coverings 106 are shown positioned on opposing sides of the hat body 102 but may be positioned anywhere on the hat body 102. Further, in accordance with one or more embodiments of the presently disclosed subject matter, any number of openings or any suitable shape or size may be defined in a hat body. One or more coverings may be used for variably covering the openings.

The hat 100 may also include a brim 114 to provide additional shielding from the sun or other environmental elements. In this example, the brim 114 is fixedly attached to a bottom portion of the hat body 102. The brim 114 may be of any suitable size and shape.

FIGS. 6 and 7 illustrate side views of another example of an all weather vent-adjustable hat 100 in accordance with the subject matter disclosed herein. Particularly, FIG. 6 shows the covering 106 positioned for not covering the opening 104. FIG. 7 shows the covering 106 in position to fully cover the opening 104. The hat 100 is a baseball-style cap.

FIGS. 8-11 illustrate side views of another example of an all weather vent-adjustable hat 100 in accordance with the subject matter disclosed herein. In this example, the hat 100 is similar shown in FIGS. 1-5 except that a plurality of buttons 800 are used for attaching the covering 106 to variably cover the opening 104. Particularly, FIG. 8 shows the buttons 800 being used to hold the covering 106 in position to fully cover the opening 104. FIG. 9 shows the covering 106 in position to not cover the opening 104. FIG. 10 shows the buttons 800 being used to hold the covering 106 in position to partially cover the opening 104. FIG. 11 shows a top view of the hat 100.

FIGS. 12 and 13 illustrate side view of another example of an all weather vent-adjustable hat 100 in accordance with the subject matter disclosed herein. In this example, the hat 100 is a baseball-style cap. In this example, the covering 106 is rolled downward for holding by the holder 108 when the covering 106 is not covering the opening 104 as shown in FIG. 12. In FIG. 13, the covering 106 is rolled up and shown fully covering the opening 104.

In a closed position when a covering covers an opening in accordance with embodiments of the presently disclosed subject matter, rain can be kept off the head of the wearer of a hat. During cold weather, by keeping rain, sleet, and/or snow off a wearer's head will result in the retention of body heat and help reduce the risk of hypothermia. Depending, upon weather conditions and wearer's own preference, the covering could be positioned to partially or fully cover an opening to allow excess body heat to dissipate during heavy exertion due to working, running, hiking, climbing, and the like, and, therefore, reduce the risk of heat stroke or exhaustion.

Moreover the wearing of this hat may result in a reduced risk of skin cancer by reducing exposure of the skin to UV radiation from the sun, especially if the hat was made of a material with a high Sun Protection Factor (SPF) number. A wide brim hat offers additional protection from the sun for the ears and neck.

An experiment was conducted to observe temperature differences inside vented hats according to the presently disclosed subject matter and unvented hats. This experiment shows the amount of temperature difference inside these two types of hats during the course of a day. An all weather vent-adjustable hat and an unvented hat were exposed to sunlight. Ambient temperature and temperature inside the respective hats were obtained hourly starting at 11:00 AM. Weather conditions were mostly sunny. The highest difference in the inside temperature of the respective hats was obtained at 4:00 PM with a temperature difference of 17° F. Table 1 below shows the results of this experiment.

TABLE 1 Measurements of Temperature (° F.) and Relative Humidity (%) Inside Vented and Unvented Hats Temp/RH difference Temp/RH Temp/RH between Ambient inside inside vented and Time Temp/RH vented hat unvented hat unvented hats 11:00 AM  82/58  82/58   82/58 0 (start) 12:00 PM  85/58  81/58   90/50 −10/8   1:00 PM  89/57  88/57   95/40  −7/17  2:00 PM¹ 97 93 99 −6  3:00 PM  94/56  90/57  100/37 −10/20  4:00 PM² 92/57  90/57  107/36 −17/21  5:00 PM  No data No data No data No data  6:00 PM  80/59³ 79/59³ No data⁴ No data (stop) ¹RH not taken ²At 4:00 PM probe froze at 107° F. and experiment suspended until 6:00 PM when instrument became functional again ³Overcast—hats were not in direct sunlight ⁴The temperature probe was not placed inside unvented hat.

A review of the data shows conclusively that the interior temperature of a vented hat is a few degrees cooler than the ambient temperature, and the interior temperature of an unvented is significantly several degrees higher than the ambient temperature.

While the embodiments have been described in connection with the preferred embodiments of the various figures, it is to be understood that other similar embodiments may be used or modifications and additions may be made to the described embodiment for performing the same function without deviating therefrom. Therefore, the disclosed embodiments should not be limited to any single embodiment, but rather should be construed in breadth and scope in accordance with the appended claims. 

1. A vent-adjustable hat comprising: a hat body configured to be worn over a head and defining at least one opening that extends between an interior of the hat body and an area outside of the hat body; and a covering attached to the hat body and variably adjustable for covering the at least one opening for at least partially preventing passage of air or rain through the at least one opening.
 2. The vent-adjustable hat of claim 1 wherein the hat body defines a side including the at least one opening, and wherein the covering is attached to the side of the hat body.
 3. The vent-adjustable hat of claim 2 wherein the opening includes a top side, and wherein the covering is attached adjacent the top side of the opening.
 4. The vent-adjustable hat of claim 1 wherein the covering is made of a flexible material.
 5. The vent-adjustable hat of claim 4 wherein the covering is configured to be positioned in at least first and second positions, wherein the covering partially covers the opening in the first position, and wherein the covering fully covers the opening in the second position.
 6. The vent-adjustable hat of claim 5 wherein the covering is variably positionable between the first and second positions for variably covering the opening.
 7. The vent-adjustable hat of claim 6 comprising at least one attachment component for attaching the covering to the hat to cover the opening.
 8. The vent-adjustable hat of claim 7 wherein the attachment component and the hat body comprise a fabric hook-and-loop fastener material for securing a portion of the covering to the hat body.
 9. The vent-adjustable hat of claim 6 wherein the attachment component comprises first and second fabric hook-and-loop fastener materials, the fastener materials each comprising a hook strip and a loop strip, wherein one of the hook and loop strips of the first fastener material is attached to a first side of the covering, and wherein the other of the one of the hook and loop strips of the first fastener material is attached to the hat body, and wherein one of the hook and loop strips of the second fastener material is attached to a first side of the covering, and wherein the other of the one of the hook and loop strips of the second fastener material is attached to the hat body.
 10. The vent-adjustable hat of claim 6 wherein the attachment component comprises at least one button for securing a portion of the covering to the hat body.
 11. The vent-adjustable hat of claim of claim 1 wherein the at least one opening comprises first and second openings positioned on substantially opposing sides of the hat body.
 12. The vent-adjustable hat of claim 11 wherein the covering is a first covering for at least partially covering the first opening, and the hat comprising a second covering for at least partially covering the second opening.
 13. The vent-adjustable hat of claim 12 comprising first and second attachment components for attaching the first and second coverings, respectively, to the hat for covering the first and second openings, respectively.
 14. The vent-adjustable hat of claim 13 wherein the attachment component comprises first and second fabric hook-and-loop fastener materials for variably adjusting the amounts that the coverings cover the first and second openings, respectively. 